InuYasha's Nightmare
by LuClipse85
Summary: InuYasha has a horrible nightmare about Kagome's death. Was it just a nightmare, or a premonition?
1. Default Chapter

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Inuyasha's Nightmare

Chapter 1

  
  
Obviously, I don't own InuYasha; otherwise this story would be an actual episode on TV right now! Besides, I don't want to own InuYasha. Takahashi- sama is handling him just fine....it's Miroku I want! Yeah, yeah I know. The guy's an H, but he's a HOT H!! And Sango, I'll take you on anyday for him!  
  
(barely dodges hiraikotsu)  
  
....okay, the boy's fine, but he ain't that fine!  
  
Another disclaimer: I know the mantis thing happened in InuYasha too, but I don't own Kikaider either.

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InuYasha is in a dark space (black and white). Kagome is in the far distance away from him when he sees a dark figure loom over her from behind. InuYasha yells a warning, but no sound comes out! He's mute! He lunges forward but is moving very slowly. He thinks he's going backwards but is actually stuck in place. The figure appears to be a giant mantis- like monster and it starts to slash at Kagome's back. She screams for InuYasha but he can't get to her. The mantis grows larger and reveals itself as Naraku. InuYasha then strains with all his might to go forward, but to no avail. Naraku raises a pinscher and plunges it into Kagome's back, through her heart, and out her chest! Blood spews out everywhere! Several drops flying out and landing on InuYasha's face.

InuYasha stares back in complete horror. He screams Kagome's name and motion returns to him as she slides off the pinscher and onto the floor. Naraku disappears. InuYasha finally reaches her and holds her in his arms. Kagome feebly opens her eyes and looks into his, smiling weakly. She tries to raise her hand to touch his face and say his name, but loses strength and dies.

InuYasha panics and shakes Kagome, screaming her name as if it would bring her back. Realizing she's dead, he shrieks her name and buries his face in her bloody chest, sobbing.

Naraku chuckles sadistically in the shadows, then reappears several feet away from them. Picking up his scent, InuYasha turns slowly to Naraku and glares ferociously at him. He gently lays Kagome down, draws the Tetsusaiga, and lunges at him! Naraku doesn't even flinch. InuYasha wasn't a far distance from him when suddenly an arrow was shot from behind and pierced straight through InuYasha's heart!

He slowed to a halt and gagged slightly, blood coming out his mouth when he tried to speak. InuYasha turned behind him, thinking it was Kikyo who drew the arrow.

Instead, it was Kagome!

Blood poured from her wounds and she just stood there glaring at InuYasha, unflinching with bow in hand. InuYasha stared in shock, realizing that Naraku was manipulating Kagome just as he did Kohaku.  
  
Naraku chuckled sadistically, "Why do you look so shocked, InuYasha? I actually did you a kindness this time. By killing Kagome, you no longer have to choose between her and Kikyo."

"I don't want Kikyo....." Inuyasha strained in anger.

Kagome sent another arrow towards InuYasha, sending it deeper into his heart and splitting the previous one. He fell over to his right, his eyes closing slowly.

Kagome.....

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InuYasha fell onto the ground on his right side, writhing in pain while clutching at his heart. This scares the hell out of Miroku, who had been sleeping peacefully on the wall opposite of InuYasha when he heard him groaning. He rushed over to his side.  
  
"InuYasha!"

"It's nothing, Miroku!" InuYasha strained, "I'm fine...AHH!!"  
  
InuYasha strained and his body went limp. He heard Miroku's voice fading into the distance and slipped into unconsciousness.  
  
He woke up in the late afternoon. Through narrowly opened eyes he found Miroku, Kaede and Shippo watching over him. 

InuYasha's nightmare had scared him so much it had caused him to go into cardiac arrest and have a minor heart attack. Kaede treated his ailment and they all waited several hours for him to wake up.  
  
"It seems ye finally came to." Kaede greeted him solemnly, glad he'd finally woken up. "Ye must have had quite a frightening nightmare to have such an attack, InuYasha. Miroku, seeing as ye were the only witness, can ye tell what happened?

Miroku had been the only one in the hut with InuYasha. Kagome had gone back to the present and took Sango with her on a tour of the 20th century. Shippo was outside with Kirara as she waited for her owner to return  
  
"It was the one night that I was able to sleep peacefully after having subsequent bad dreams." Miroku went on, smiling gleefully from ear to ear, "It was a clear beautiful night with the stars twinkling alongside the full moon. Sango and I were sharing a very romantic moment together.

(Sango was on top)

"We were really enjoying ourselves when all of a sudden, everything went black and I heard these strange sounds. At first I thought it was Sango until I realized I had been awakened. That's when I opened my eyes and saw InuYasha gasping for air. I woke up and realized he was having trouble breathing and he looked very pale. I called him and asked if he was alright, then he regained his breath. Like he normally does, InuYasha blew me off and said he was fine. I took his word and quickly went back to my lovely dream."  
  
By this time, Kaede and Shippo were cutting their eyes at Miroku, who had a happy and **very **perverted grin on his face as he paused, recalling his heavenly dream of making love to Sango. From where he lay, InuYasha cut his narrowed eyes at him, disgusted.

Inuyasha muttered under his breath, "Freak oughta be arrested...."

"I shall regret inquiring, but is there more, Miroku?" Kaede inquired, tentatively.

Kaede took Miroku out of his recollection; he continued.  
  
"Well, my dream continued where it left off and went on for a short while when everything went black! I made an educated guess as to what caused me to wake up and looked over at InuYasha. He was moaning and flinching in his sleep rather soundly. I made a comment of concern (he growled at him) and went back to sleep."

Everyone could sense a hint of irritation in the monk's voice.

"Well, my dream again continued from where it left off, and fortunately it lasted for a good long while. I shared a most intimate romance with dearest Sango. I wished that blissful moment would never end; steadily it got better and better. The romance in our moment was about to reach its climax with ecstasy to ensue.....when suddenly everything went black....AGAIN!!!"  
  
That time, they could definitely tell Miroku was aggravated. (Well if you were getting some and someone kept interrupting, you'd be pissed off too!)

InuYasha rolled up his eyes and wore a look that seemed to say, "bite me!".  
  
(Flashback: Miroku's dream)

It felt so good inside of his beloved Sango. Miroku was overcome by the intensity of Sango's heat. He send powerful thrusts into her, making Sango moan loudly and arch her back. Miroku caressed her scarred back with his left hand, kneading her right breast with his cursed hand and suckling her left nipple.  
  
"Miroku-sama.....aishiteru...." Sango whispered breathlessly.  
"Sango-sama.....aishiteru...." Miroku panted, breathlessly.  
  
It was coming! The moment intensifying, Sango threw her head back and tightened her grip on Miroku's shoulders! Their breathing quickened, Sango became louder, Miroku's thrusts became more powerful and faster. Electricity fiercely began to surge through their bodies with fierceness! The energy was about to reach its peak.....

....when something shut off the power and everything went black.  
  
"DAMMIT, INUYASHA!!!!!"  
  
(End of Flashback)

"I slowly opened my narrowed eyes and sought to calm to my ailing friend (was about to lay the smackdown with an economy-size can of Whoop-Ass!) when I saw him on the ground writhing in pain! I scrambled to his side but InuYasha insisted he was fine. He strained rather harshly and then passed out. I ran outside to seek help, I was fortunate to have happened upon you, Lady Kaede and here we are."  
  
Kaede raised an eyebrow as Miroku concluded, while Shippo stared at him, waiting for an explanation as to what an "intimate romance" was. InuYasha went back to sleep, hoping to have a dream about either him or Sango kickin' Miroku's ass for his sick dream. Kaede muttered something to herself about Miroku being hornier than usual today.  
  
Later that afternoon, a little while before sunset, InuYasha sat under a tree just outside the village. He was still feeling a bit weak from his attack earlier and the repeating images of Kagome weren't helping his condition. InuYasha kept thinking about it when he saw Miroku walk up to him, glaring down at him.

InuYasha gave him a peculiar look. Where was that perverted smile of his he always wore?  
  
"What the hell's wrong with you, Miroku?" InuYasha asked annoyed and curious.

Miroku answered, sounding rather pissed, "Alright InuYasha, you woke me up three times last night during the best dream of my damned life (pun intended)! What's wrong?!  
  
Miroku knelt down, looking InuYasha dead in the eye and holding his staff as if threatening to beat the hell out of him if he dared to retort it was none of his business.

Rolling up his eyes, InuYasha sighed defeated and confessed; however, he only gave a summary of his overall view of it, omitting great detail like Kagome getting killed and manipulated by Naraku and then killing him. InuYasha got up to go to the Bone Eater's Well, leaving Miroku to meditate about that.

InuYasha sat under a tree on the other side of the village boundaries, sleeping. He meant to go to the well to meet Kagome and Sango when he had another attack. It was brief but it seemed to suck all the strength out of him; causing him to rest and fall asleep under the tree.

"InuYasha? InuYasha?"  
  
He opened his eyes, thinking he heard the voice of a young woman call his name. InuYasha turned to find Kagome kneeling in front of him with a smile.  
  
"Hi InuYasha." Kagome greeted with a bright smile.

"Hey Kagome." He responded groggily.  
  
Kagome took a close look at InuYasha's downcast face and immediately sensed something was wrong. He was pale and sweaty. InuYasha noticed her looking at him worriedly and asked what her problem was. Kagome asked him to tell her what was bothering him. At first he refused, then he looked at Kagome's face. She had ran into Miroku and Kaede and they told her about what had happened to InuYasha. She had been searching for him for almost a half-hour. Her face showed apparent sadness and worry. Plus, she was on the verge of crying because she could sense the pain in InuYasha's heart. InuYasha didn't want to tell her, but he couldn't stand that look she was giving him. He told Kagome all about his nightmare, giving all the details.  
  
On certain parts, InuYasha had to pause to not faint, lose strength in his limbs, or pass out. Kagome had to say it for him when he mentioned that she dies. After he finished, there was a long uneasy silence as InuYasha looked away from Kagome. She looked down at the ground as she sat beside InuYasha, wondering what to say or if she should say anything. Kagome took another look at his downcast face. She could tell that nightmare had really done some damage to him. She concluded that words were inappropriate in this situation, so Kagome just laid her head affectionately on InuYasha's shoulder. He glanced at her with a sort of saddened visage, and laid his hand upon hers.  
  
The nightmare left InuYasha and Kagome to wonder; was it just a nightmare, Naraku messing with InuYasha, or was it truly a premonition of something horrible?


	2. Mirror

This one's for you, Kagome2009-chan! I really apologize for taking so long just to give you chapter 2, but I had a **SEVERE **case of writer's block. (Hmm. LuClipse85 had writer's block.....a paradox.) I was trying to come up with a real good idea for a continuation and finally I got one! ....Sort of. But I got something to get me going at least. I apologize for keeping you waiting. I know six and a half months of waiting must've been hell. But thanks to your demanding, and indirectly heartbreaking, message, it seeped into my subconscious and brought out whatever brilliant idea had been stuck in there! But here you are: "Inuyasha's Nightmare, chapter 2" and a good Halloween story! Now that I've gotten a solid concept, you can expect to see regular updates (hopefully monthly ones ;). Man, listening to my X Japan MP3 files really put me in a sort of gothic mood. Especially "White Poem 1", I thought that fit Inuyasha perfectly here.

Okay, Kagome2009-chan, you waited 6 1/2 months for this so I'll shut up and let you read now.

Have fun! -

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

InuYasha isn't mine.

("And thank Buddha! D'you read this chapter, Miroku? This woman's mental!" Inuyasha whispered.)

("Tell me something I don't know. But yeah, after reading this chapter, she's the first black Goth chick I know!")

("Man! She's almost up there with Naraku!" Sango added.)

I HEARD THAT!! AND HOW DARE YOU CALL ME A SICK BASTARD!! I'M GOTHIC RIGHT NOW!!

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Inuyasha's Nightmare

Chapter 2

"Mirror"

The afternoon grew late. The Inu-tachi had hit the road to continue their search for the remaining shards of the Shikon jewel. Inuyasha lead his group as usual, Kagome was right behind him, Shippo lay sleeping in the basket of her bike after devouring a box of pocky, Sango walked behind Kagome holding Kirara and Miroku walked beside her, bruised and limping.

(**FLASHBACK: That morning**)

Everyone was still at Kaede's village at mid-morning, waiting for Inuyasha to wake up. He had woken up before but was still weary from his ordeal the previous day; he had just laid down in Kaede's hut and fell back into a deep sleep.

Kagome came inside to see if Inuyasha was ready to hit the road again. He was usually the first one up and in a hurry to leave. It shocked her to see Inuyasha laying down on the floor, still sleeping.

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Boy, that nightmare he had yesterday must've really done something to him. Kagome thought pitifully.

Kagome quietly walked over to the hanyou and sat down beside him, gently stroking his shiny white hair. Inuyasha stirred as he picked up her scent. Kagome watched him as he slept, then smiled when she saw his right ear twitch. She thought about Inuyasha's nightmare, playing it through her mind over and over and thought maybe it wasn't serious. Kagome tried to convince herself that that's all Inuyasha's nightmare was, a nightmare. However, something told her otherwise.

Kagome gave Inuyasha's hair one last stroke and then left the hut, still thinking about the nightmare.

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I feel like I shouldn't be worried about something like that, but.....I don't know why, I think for him to have a nightmare so bad he goes into cardiac arrest, I think maybe it's something we shouldn't put to the side. Kagome thought, trying to make sense of her conflicting feelings to the situation. _I feel at war with myself; reason's saying it was just a nightmare, but my gut's telling me to take it into consideration._

Kagome stood just outside the hut when she saw something in the corner of her eye and immediately ducked! A strong wind blew about as the object flew over her head and into the sky. Kagome looked up to see what that was and found it was Sango's hiraikotsu. It curved in the air and returned to its owner in the distance.

"What-" Kagome wondered, when she was later answered.

"AW C'MON, SANGO! DON'T KILL ME OVER A DREAM!!"

"**HA! I'D BE GOING EASY ON YOU IF I DID, MIROKU!**"

"SOMEONE HELP ME!!"

Kagome stood back up and looked into the distance ahead of her and found Miroku running along the rice fields away from Sango, who was chasing him and swinging her hiraikotsu at his head and legs. From Kagome's perspective, Miroku was running almost as fast as Koga to escape certain death. Sango leapt in the air and hurled her weapon at him; the hiraikotsu intercepted Miroku's path and caused him to halt. He looked up and found Sango falling back to the ground with her unsheathed sword. Miroku screamed and ran like hell before she landed and sliced the dirt road. Sango left her massive weapon in the ground and chased Miroku, swinging her sword at him whenever she managed to get close. Miroku continued running for dear life, approaching Kagome.

"HiKagomeByeKagome!!" Miroku hastily greeted as he zoomed past her.

"Hi Miroku."

"Hey Kagome!" Sango greeted as she zoomed past right behind Miroku.

"Hey Sango."

They were a good distance away from Kagome in a matter of seconds.

"C'MON SANGO, GIMME A BREAK!!" Miroku pleaded while running.

"**I'LL DO BETTER THAN THAT; I'LL GIVE YOU FOUR BREAKS: ONE FOR EACH LIMB!" **Sango roared in response.

"HELP! INUYASHA! LADY KAEDE! **MOMMY!!**"

"**I'LL GET YOU FOR THAT SICK DREAM, MONK!!**"

Kagome watched as them run and jump all around the rice fields until they disappeared from eyesight, wondering what happened between them. Just then Shippo appeared, bidding Kagome good morning.

"Shippo-chan, do you know why Sango's running after Miroku like she's trying to kill him?" Kagome asked the kitsune, hoping to get an answer.

"Yeah, sort of." Shippo explained, "When you guys got back from the future, I asked Sango what an "intimate romance" was since nobody here wanted to tell me. I figured since it had something to do with her, she would know about it. She didn't and asked why I thought that. I told her about Miroku's dream about her being on top of him and the two of them sharing what Miroku called an "intimate romance". Next thing I knew, Sango went off and went off after Miroku."

Kagome looked up, no longer surprised now that Shippo made everything clear.

"I knew he crossed the line." Kagome stated flatly.

(**END FLASHBACK**)

"Such brutality was really uncalled for." Miroku muttered under his breath.

"**Shut up, monk! You asked for it!**" Sango snarled fiercely, making Kirara cower in her arms and then jump into the basket with Shippo, most likely in her best interest.

Miroku started to protest, "But I-"

Sango cut him off by quickly unsheathing her sword, glaring into Miroku's eyes. "Unless you want a hole in your stomach to go with the one in your hand, **shut up!**"

"Shutting up." Miroku quickly said, then obeyed Sango's order with a broad, nervous grin.

Sango continued walking, her anger practically killing the grass with each step she took. Miroku stayed a good distance behind her, he could at least watching her swaying rear from a safe distance.

Kagome mumbled something to herself while looking up at the sky. She then asked Inuyasha a question; she got no response. Inuyasha didn't even hear her. Kagome peeked at him, wondering if he was alright; her eyes widened at what she saw.

Inuyasha's eyes were barely open, his leaning to the side. He was still thinking about his dream and what it was, then his eyes fluttered shut and he fell asleep while walking. Kagome looked at his feet as they began to drag; she had never seen Inuyasha technically sleepwalk before. Inuyasha's foot hit a rock, causing his eyes to pop open; though he didn't wake up until his face slammed into the ground.

"Damn rock." Inuyasha growled sleepily under his breath.

He rose to his feet and kicked the rock for tripping him. Inuyasha looked up and saw everyone looking at him, getting agitated.

"What the hell are you all gawking at?!" He snarled.

"Inuyasha, why don't we just set up camp here?" Sango suggested out of concern.

"It's still daylight, don't tell me you're all tired already." He responded gruffly.

"It's not us, it's you, Inuyasha. You look exhausted." Miroku added, equally concerned.

"Miroku's right, Inuyasha. If you don't wanna set up camp, let's just take a short break so you can rest." Shippo suggested helpfully.

Inuyasha scoffed, "Keh! Spare me, Shippo! I ain't a weakling!"

Inuyasha kept walking, folding his arms stubbornly. Seeing as that didn't work, the others followed him, not saying another word. Kagome glanced at the hanyou after they had walked a long while. Inuyasha was obviously very tired; he could barely keep his eyes open. He yawned loudly. Everyone knew he was exhausted; he really hadn't gotten a very good night's sleep due to his repeat nightmare, but they all knew they'd be wasting their breath telling him to take a break.

Finally Kagome gently asked Inuyasha if he wanted to set up camp for the night. He still refused, giving her the same answer he gave Sango, but in a softer tone. Miroku glanced up at the sky, it was still daylight, but the sun was setting now and nightfall was quickly approaching.

As luck would have it, the group came across a nice inn just ahead. Miroku worked his magic and "exorcised" the ominous black cloud, "free of charge". The inn keeper insisted on giving them a bed and food for the night on the house.

Inuyasha, Sango, Kagome and Shippo stared at him like they normally did, then quickly got over it. Sango and Kagome headed for the bath, Miroku right behind them until Sango shot him a threatening glare. He figured he could make it a while longer with a bath; he just might see tomorrow if he did.

"Y'know Inuyasha, it would be rather rude if we rejected the innkeeper's kindness. Perhaps now we could see up camp for the night?" Miroku inquired with a conniving tone.

Inuyasha shot him a half-lidded glare. He wanted to tell him off for lying through his teeth again, but he was too tired to even say "keh". Inuyasha grunted sleepily and walked off.

As everyone ate dinner they tried hard to stifle their laughter so as not to disturb Inuyasha. He had actually fallen asleep while eating! Inuyasha didn't even stir when Shippo poked his side and he fell over onto the ground! In fact, it seemed his snoring got a little louder. Everyone snickered quietly, but left Inuyasha alone.

Inuyasha stirred and his eyes opened. He sat up and looked around the room; he was the only one there. Inuyasha wondered where the others had gone then remembered falling asleep and figured they had left him alone and gone to bed. Inuyasha's body suddenly grew tense as two things came to his senses:

It was deathly quiet and there was a thick scent of blood in the air......

The inn keeper's blood included!

Inuyasha rushed out of the room and followed the scent; it grew stronger as he came closer to the source. He came to a long hallway and found corpses littered all along the hallway! The inn keeper, his wife, all of the guests, and to his horror, Miroku, Sango, Kirara and Shippo were among them, laying in pools of blood!

Inuyasha stood horrified, then rose his eyes up as he heard footsteps far up ahead and saw a shadow walking forward.

__

It's gotta be the murderer! Inuyasha thought. Baring his fangs, he unsheathed the Tetsusaiga and took a fighting stance. But the Tetsusaiga didn't transform!

__

What the hell?! Why hasn't it transformed?!

Inuyasha kept his stance, wondering what was wrong with the Tetsusaiga when the murderer stepped forward out of the shadows....

Inuyasha's eyes widened in utmost horror.

"Kagome?!"

Kagome stood before Inuyasha, the blood of the guests and her friends all over her school uniform. She stared into his eyes with a cold stoic gaze. In her right hand, Kagome held Sango's sword, which was covered and dripping with blood.

Inuyasha was completely horrified! Kagome had killed everyone at the inn, and she didn't look at all remorseful! Inuyasha sniffed the air and narrowed his eyes as he tried to sense who's spell she was under. His eyes widened again. There was no demonic aura coming from her and no trace of mind control!

Kagome did this of her own free will.

"Kagome...." Inuyasha uttered, aghast.

She fixed her cold eyes on Inuyasha, raising her sword to her mouth and licking some of the blood off of the blade. Her grip on the handle tightened.

"Your turn." She hissed with a sadistic smile.

Kagome quickly lunged at Inuyasha and sent the sword through his chest, just barely missing his heart. He screamed in pain as she pulled out and then dodged when she swung at him again. Before Kagome could strike again, Inuyasha ran out of the inn, wondering what was wrong with her. Kagome chased after him, running just fast enough to keep up with him.

She rose her sword to the side and slashed at him, sending a beam of energy forward which materialized into an arrow and went straight through Inuyasha's side! He yelled in pain but continued running. Kagome swung four more times, sending four more arrows into his flesh. She rose the sword to swing a fifth time, fixing her aim on Inuyasha's heart. Just as she swung, Kagome stumbled and her arrow was send of course. It slashed at his side, cutting his hakama belt and releasing the Tetsusaiga. Inuyasha didn't notice until he felt his pants slack and heard something fall onto the ground. He grabbed the right side of his pants to keep himself from tripping over them and looked down.

The Tetsusaiga has disappeared!

Intent on killing Inuyasha, Kagome uses all her power and sends another arrow flying toward him! The arrow sinks into his back and runs straight through his heart; the tremendous force lifts Inuyasha off his feet and sends his chest slamming fiercely into a tree ahead of him! Inuyasha gagged as he slid down the tree, blood flowing heavily out of his mouth. His body quickly loses strength as he slid down and fell over at the base of the tree, his eyes half-lidded.

"Kagome...." Inuyasha whispered inaudibly, his body laying still on the ground.

Kagome slowed to a halt then stood behind him, staring at him coldly. A small satisfied smile spread across her lips. Kagome's grip on her sword grew slack and it fell from her hand. Then a look as if she had woken up and came to her senses washed over her face. Kagome looked down at her shirt, heavily stained with blood, and remembered everything. Her breath quickened in horror as she slowly raises her eyes to Inuyasha, locking on his body at the base of the tree.

Kagome's eyes widened in shock as she realized what she had done. Her hand trembled fiercely as she rose them to her face.

"Dear Buddha, what have I done? Inuyasha...." Kagome whispered as tears formed in her eyes.

Inuyasha's body twitched, then his breath returned to him.

Kagome smiled, he's alive! She summoned her legs, stiff from shock, to take her toward her beloved when she heard a sound come from Inuyasha. Immediately they stopped. Inuyasha's labored breathing transformed into a vicious growl. He moved his arms from under him, sitting up. Inuyasha leaned over on the ground and threw up blood, as two of the arrows had pierced his stomach. He coughed and his labored breathing returned, Inuyasha then tilted his head slightly toward Kagome, growling menacingly.

His face had a purple streak on each side and his eyes were blood red.......Inuyasha was in his demon form!

He slowly rose to his feet, never taking his glaring eyes off of Kagome. Inuyasha turned around, facing her, extending his sharp lengthened claws and taking a fighting stance.

Kagome's heart raced, but her body was paralyzed with fright as she realized what Inuyasha was going to do. She could barely get her vocal chords to move.

"_Inuyasha....don't.....please...." _She begged in a whisper.

Inuyasha growled. He lunged forward and slashed her stomach open!! Kagome shrieked at the top of her lungs in sheer agony! Inuyasha chuckled, he enjoyed that! Wanting more, he sent his claws slashing deeper through Kagome's flesh and bones, tearing her open alive! Her blood sprayed and splattered everywhere; Kagome screamed horribly in pure terror and pure excruciation; and Inuyasha laughed in sheer pleasure from all of it! He got more pleasure from that than from killing Goshinki!

Inuyasha viciously seized Kagome's neck, he stared at her as he listened to her ragged breathing. He then drew back his right hand, extending his claws. Kagome grabbed Inuyasha's hand and looked into his eyes.

"_Inuyasha.....please....please stop....I beg you......" _Kagome pleaded, beginning to cry.

Inuyasha stared in her watering eyes and saw a tear stream down her face.

"Keh." He scoffed coldly.

Inuyasha drew his hand back more and plunged into through Kagome's chest! A loud blood-curdling shriek escaped Kagome and was abruptly cut off as blood gushed up her throat and was expelled through her mouth.

Inuyasha's smile of pleasure widened; he chuckled sadistically, enjoying every second of Kagome's agony.

Kagome struggled to lift her head and narrowly open her eyes, looking into Inuyasha's. Feebly, she struggled to lift her arm and reached out her hand touch his face.

"_I...nu....y...yaaa....."_

Her arm twitched several times and trembled fiercely, struggling to hold on to life. Losing strength, Kagome's hand fell from Inuyasha's face.

__

Inuyasha......

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Thank you for your support, Kagome2009-chan! This is entire story is dedicated to you!

Ch. 3 will hopefully be up next month.

Happy Halloween! Ja ne! -


	3. Chapter 3

(A/N: Okay! I seem to be making progress with this story. Ironic that I'm the Queen of Humor and my very first InuYasha fanfiction is a horror story. Anyway, I'm giving Kagome2009-chan and everyone else the third chapter. By the way, I read my reviews for the previous chapter.....you guys cracked me up! Everyone's screaming their heads off that I killed off everybody except Inuyasha....technically. I got a concept for the continuation, however, it's quite unstable. So please bear with me if it's moving slowly. Okay, let's go so I can read my reviews for this one!)

Disclaimer:

We've been through this too many frickin' times! It's obvious I don't own InuYasha, people! Miroku would be serving me lemonade on my private patio in his purple swimming trunks with a sexy smile and sweat from the summer sun trickling down his hot chiseled bare chest and his beautiful violet eyes gazing lovingly into mine and his hand caressing my chocolate colored cheeks, slowly pulling me into a passionate kiss, my heart racing and........

Okay, what was I talking about again?

(Tueske Koenami holds up cue card: "I don't own InuYasha.")

Well of course you don't, Tueske-chan.

("No, **I **don't own InuYasha!")

Yeah, Tueske-chan. We know you don't own InuYasha, otherwise Sesshomaru would be your love slave.

(Tueske throws an empty pocky box at my head: "No, fool! You, as in LuClipse85, do not own InuYasha!!! Argh!")

Oh okay! No, I sadly don't own InuYasha. But like Dan Hartman once said, 'I Can Dream About You', Miroku-baby!

("Goofy".)

Hope you enjoyed the disclaimer, 'cuz that's all the humor you're gonna get here!

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Inuyasha's Nightmare

Chapter 3

Inuyasha grinned sadistically at his handiwork, then suddenly felt a fierce surge of excruciation shoot through his wounded body. He roared in pain and fell to his knees, his breathing labored. Inuyasha's body tensed, then slowly relaxed. Feeling the pain subsiding, he slowly opened his eyes. They were golden again; he had reverted back to his half-demon self. Inuyasha's exhausted eyes wandered to the side and found the Tetsusaiga on the ground beside him. He narrowed his eyes, wondering why it had disappeared and then reappeared. He lowered his eyes and found blood covering his hands and dripping onto the ground.

"What...? How'd....?" Inuyasha stuttered in a whisper, remembering nothing from his transformation.

The sickening smell of the blood assaulted his nostrils. Inuyasha's body froze. His eyes widened in utmost horror when he recognized the scent.

He slowly lifted his eyes to look before him; his eyes widened to their fullest extent, his face went pallid and his hands trembled fiercely as he drew in a gasp.

Before him lay Kagome, dead. Her brown eyes remained opened, half-lidded. From the neck down, her body was mutilated; her flesh torn and ripped from her bones, some of it laying on the ground surrounding her in pieces, her innards were exposed, the ground was soaked with blood that drained from her shredded body. In the center of Kagome's chest was a large bloody hole that revealed her broken ribcage and her missing heart.

Inuyasha stared in shock, barely able to breathe. He felt so sick at the horrible sight. Inuyasha saw on his right hand Kagome's blood; his eyes trailed up his arm and discovered his entire forearm was coated! Also, blood was all over his torn clothing and several drops were splattered on his face.

Kagome's blood was all over him!

"No.....Kagome.....I killed Kagome.....I.......k-....I....."

His heart almost gave out at the realization. Inuyasha's ears heard a remote scream. He turned toward it but didn't heard it again. A moment later, he heard it again in the opposite direction, slightly louder. Another moment later, Inuyasha heard the scream again in another direction, louder the previous one. Slowly, the time interval between the screaming shortened and grew louder and louder.

It was Kagome screaming!

Her terrified, ear-splitting shrieks assaulted his ears mercilessly. Inuyasha covered his ears to banish the horrid noise, but he could still hear it. He pressed harder against his ears, desperately trying to drown out the noise as he nearly scrunched into a fetal position.

Inuyasha could not drown out Kagome's screaming. The tormented hanyou gnashed his teeth and pressed even harder against his ears, begging for this torture to stop. He then heard the sadistic laughing of Kagome's murderer and the sounds of her flesh being ripped from her bones as well as the sound of her blood splattering and spraying.

Inuyasha's closed eyes widened beyond then fullest extend as he trembled fiercely.

That laughing was coming from him!

He was killing Kagome and was enjoying every minute of it!

"No....Kagome...." Inuyasha whimpered, on the verge of breaking down in tears. The sounds of him killing his beloved Kagome continued to plague , refusing to cease.

"Kagome....**KAGOME!!!!!" **

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"INUYASHA!!"

"KAGOME!! KAGOME!!"

"INUYASHA! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!!"

Inuyasha's tightly closed eyes shot open, blinking as his vision returned to him. He bolted up from the wooden floor, sitting up. His head searched his surroundings in bewilderment, his heart raced rapidly, and his breathing trying to keep up with his heart.

"Inuyasha! Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha grew dizzy from the oxygen rushing to his brain. He swayed; his eyes rolled up and he fell over backwards onto the floor. Before he could lose consciousness, Inuyasha felt someone shake his shoulders and shout at him.

"Inuyasha! Are you alright?! Please, wake up!"

His eyes opened in narrow slits and stared upward at the person calling him.

He saw Miroku looking down at him, his face filled with worry.

It took a while for Inuyasha to recognize him. When he did, he sat back up and stared, not quite awake yet and still a little bewildered.

"Are you alright now, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked concernedly.

He realized Miroku was talking to him; Inuyasha's breathing quickened, answering Miroku's question.

"Inuyasha! Calm down, just calm down. You're awake, everything's alright now." Miroku said slowly and calmly so as not to make Inuyasha more bewildered than he already was, while griping the hanyou's shoulders to steady him.

Inuyasha slowly came to his senses and woke up, starting to calm down. He stared at Miroku, thinking that he was dead but then looked at his surroundings; he was in the room when they all had eaten dinner and it was the middle of the night. Inuyasha lowered his head, closing his eyes and sighing in relief.

"I'm awake. It was just another nightmare." He whispered breathlessly to himself.

Miroku's worried eyes fixed on Inuyasha. The hanyou's face was almost whiter than his hair and he was dripping in sweat.

Inuyasha had another nightmare; it seems this one was worse than his previous two. It practically scared the life out of him. Miroku thought.

Inuyasha calmed down some, then lifted his eyes to Miroku and asked about Kagome. The monk answered, saying she was asleep sharing a room with Sango and Shippo. Inuyasha sat hunched over, holding his forehead in his hand and breathing heavily.

Miroku's concern heightened. Inuyasha looked like hell, this damage had indeed done major damage. Miroku took a minute to think of what might help him, then it came. He suggested to Inuyasha that he take a soak in the hot spring nearby to relax. It always to work for Kagome and Sango. He reasoned that the nightmares may have been caused by stress from all their past battles.

At first, Inuyasha declined, thinking it wouldn't do any good, but then he thought about it. Kagome usually went right to sleep after she came out of the hot springs, and she said herself it was indeed very relaxing. Inuyasha took her word for it and walked toward the hot spring after Miroku gave him a towel.

The hot water felt good on his bare skin. No wonder Kagome always bathed so much. Inuyasha had to admit Miroku was right, this was pretty nice. He went under the surface, soaking his hair and exhaled loudly as he resurfaced, as if releasing all of his troubles to the night. Inuyasha rested his head against one of large rocks that bordered the spring and stared up at the thick crescent moon.

I don't know what to make of this. This is the third night in a row I've had really bad nightmares. But this one seemed to be the worst. What the hell do I mean 'seemed'?! It IS the worst! It scared the hell out of me!

Inuyasha went under the water again, stayed for a few seconds, then resurfaced. He then looked at his hands.

Only water dripped from them.

His solemn eyes went back to the moon. He stared for a while then saw Kagome's smiling face in the night sky. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed in concern.

I don't care what happens to me, I just don't want Kagome to get hurt. I'll do everything in my power to protect her, but I'm not sure if I can, with my demon side and all......Dammit, Inuyasha! That's all crap! It was just a nightmare! They are all nothing but nightmares! That's all! No matter what, I'll protect Kagome as well as the others.

Inuyasha's mental speech made him feel a little more at ease. Now he was extremely sleepy! The hot spring worked better than Miroku said.

He dozed off, having a brief dream of laying down, at peace. Kagome stroked his silky white hair as his head rested in her lap. He smiled and purred when she stroked his ears and slowly rubbed that spot in the back (from all the other fanfics I've read, Inuyasha can do that.). Inuyasha opened his eyes and looked up into her beautiful brown eyes as she smiled blissfully.

Inuyasha immediately awoke as he felt water begin to enter his lungs. While he slept, he had slowly slid down the rock his head rested on and into the water. Inuyasha felt worn out and ready for bed as he was falling asleep in the hot spring.

I'd better go to bed before I drown myself.

Inuyasha emerged and slipped into his white under-yukata, which fit like a mini skirt on him. He was so sleepy that he nearly went back inside the inn naked (stop drooling at the thought, people!).

He walked into the inn half-asleep, occasionally walking into walls until he finally made it to his room. Inuyasha tossed his red hakama to the side on the ground, turned to his futon, fell to his knees, fell over onto the futon, and fell asleep instantly.

But that didn't ensure him a good night's sleep. Inuyasha kept waking up throughout the night as his nightmare repeated itself.

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The Inu-tachi continued their search the following morning as soon as Inuyasha woke up, which was late morning. The hanyou was dog-tired (pun-intended) as they walked on. Inuyasha practically sleptwalked for the last several miles, frequently tripping over various pebbles and falling on his face, and Kagome never even said anything!

Everyone knew Inuyasha was exhausted; Miroku had told everyone he had lost sleep again because of his nightmare. He spoke up and suggested they all take a short break. He knew if he mentioned it was for Inuyasha's sake, the hanyou would pick up his slave driver pace. Inuyasha declined, saying it was too early in the day to stop and rest.

Sango was surprised by his answer; the old dog was too stubborn to admit when he needed a break. An idea came to her; she was certain this would get him to stop and rest.

"Kagome, do you have any more of that shrimp **ramen**? I don't know why, but I've had a bad craving for the stuff since this morning." Sango spoke loud enough for Inuyasha to hear her while giving Kagome hints to her plan.

Kagome caught on and answered her, also speaking loudly. She reached into her oversized bag and pulled out a package of shrimp flavored ramen for Sango. She then pulled out and package of beef flavored ramen and presented it to Inuyasha, trying to tempt him into taking a lunch break.

Inuyasha stared at the ramen and was shocked......he didn't have an appetite for it.

Kagome wondered why he was staring like he had never heard of ramen. "Go ahead, I didn't make a special lunch for us so I won't get mad if you have ramen, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha didn't take his eyes off of it. He was trying to force an appetite on himself, but it wasn't working. "You guys can pig out, I'm not hungry."

Eyes widened and jaws dropped. Inuyasha didn't want RAMEN?!

Inuyasha turned around when he felt a hand tug at his sleeve. He looked down with an irritated look and found Shippo looking up at him firmly.

"What, fox?" Inuyasha snapped in irritation.

"You're sick, dog. We're taking a break now." Shippo replied firmly, scared.

Inuyasha started to protest when Kagome insisted, "He's right, Inuyasha. Anytime you don't want ramen, that's reason to be concerned. We're not asking much, all we want is for you to take a short rest. One hour at max, okay? If you keep going like this, you might pass out from exhaustion and then our search for the jewel shards will be delayed longer."

Kagome looked into Inuyasha's tired eyes pleadingly. She thought combining worry and reasoning would convince him. If not, she could always use her one-word backup method.

"Keh. Fine, but just one hour. We can't lose too much time."

Kagome smiled and agreed. She and the others set a small camp while Inuyasha leapt into the tree nearby and sprawled out on one of the branches. He stared up at the partially cloudy sky, thanking Buddha he had a pushy girlfriend who cared so much. Inuyasha had wanted to rest MILES ago, but didn't want to lose time with sleep. He was feeling rather nauseous and very weary from three days' worth of lost sleep. Inuyasha's eyelids became extremely heavy, they slowly they closed.....

ROARRR!!

"What the....?!"

Inuyasha sat up with a start. He lifted his nose and sniffed.

Demons. More than he could count.

Inuyasha leapt from the tree branch and reached for his sword. He looked around and noticed everyone was missing.

"Where is everyone?! Miroku would've sucked them up in his wind tunnel by now!" Inuyasha thought outloud.

He locked onto the demons' scent and followed it. He hadn't ran very far when he found Kagome running up to him, her shoulder bleeding. She ran into his arms, elated to see him. Inuyasha was just about to ask her what was going on when he heard roaring, snarling, hissing and the sound of the demons approaching them.

Inuyasha looked up and found an enormous horde of demons looming before them. Kagome got behind Inuyasha, the demons moved in to devour the both of them as soon as she moved.

Inuyasha smirked cockily. "Not today, bastards! WIND SCAR!"

The wind scar eliminated the horde as well as the surrounding scenery. Inuyasha was about to laugh victoriously, when he shut up. The wind scar had killed the demons, but as soon as the light from the attack faded, their remains instantly regenerated and doubled. Inuyasha figured this was too dangerous for Kagome to hang around and told her to run to safety. She left when he insisted on it. Inuyasha tried the wind scar several times, but nothing worked! The demons only came back and in greater numbers!

Knowing this was a no-win situation, Inuyasha fled, sheathing Tetsusaiga. The demons chased after him and he ran faster. He saw Kagome and took her in his arms, running to evade the horde behind him. Inuyasha stopped as he entered a field. The demons' scent had faded away but he kept running just to be on the safe side. He set Kagome down and stepped cautiously toward the trees, his hand on Tetsusaiga's handle in case any of them popped up. Inuyasha's ears and eyes searching all around them, checking for any enemies that were hiding elsewhere.

Kagome eased when Inuyasha did. The demons were gone.

"Looks like we're safe, Kagome." Inuyasha said, calmly.

Kagome was just about to release a sigh of relief when she looked down at her feet after feeling something move underneath her.

Inuyasha heard the faint noise and turned around. Just as he did, roots shot up from the ground and lifted Kagome upward, enclosing her inside them

Before Inuyasha could scream out to her, roots shot up from under him and did the same to him. He tried to fight them off, but the roots repelled his claws and were too strong for him to break.

The roots lift Kagome and Inuyasha above the trees and stop. Inuyasha struggles with all his strength to break free, but it's barely enough to pry the roots apart so that he could see Kagome, who was a distance before him having the same dilemma as him.

Inuyasha continued to struggle, keeping his attention on Kagome. This time as he moved, the thorns pierced and cut his skin. Kagome watched in horror as blood trickled down the roots, and Inuyasha was still trying to break free to get to her.

"Hang on Kagome! I'll get loose somehow!" He cried out to Kagome.

"I beg to differ, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha heard a voice sound from the shadows. He looked around but couldn't find its source.

"Inuyasha!!" Kagome screamed in pain.

The hanyou looked before him and found Kagome wincing and screaming. He frantically wondered what was wrong when he saw the roots surrounding her moving inward. They were condensing! Kagome was slowly being crushed and the thorns were stabbing into her!

Kagome looked at Inuyasha frightened and with tears in her eyes, reaching out to him. Inuyasha snarled, knowing someone was behind this whole thing. He reached out to her, trying to at least move forward enough to touch her hand and try to pull her out of the roots. Nothing. No matter how much Inuyasha desperately tried, he couldn't get anywhere near Kagome.

"Inuyasha....please help me...." Kagome cried, not wanting to die.

The hanyou winced in anguish, but still didn't give up.

The voice reappeared from the shadows, "Ha ha. Very persistent, aren't you, Inuyasha? How pathetic you can't even escape from such puny roots."

"That voice," Inuyasha gasped, "YOU!!"

Just as Inuyasha recognized the voice, it's owner appeared out of nowhere on a rock far from the two.

Naraku sat there in his baboon pelt, the hood beside him. He glared at Inuyasha with his malicious red eyes and a sadistic amused smile.

"Naraku! You son of a bitch! You set us up!!" Inuyasha roared.

Naraku's smile broadened. " 'Set up' is such a mediocre term; I find 'arranged' more befitting."

"To hell with that! I'll kill you, bastard!!" Inuyasha struggled even more to escape the thorny roots, enduring the agonizing pain.

"You should worry about vengeance later, half-breed. At the moment, you should get your priorities in order." Naraku hissed in a low tone.

Inuyasha stared questioningly when he heard Kagome scream again. The thorns had wrapped around her chest and she was struggling to breathe.

"_Inuyasha......"_ Kagome managed.

"Kagome....hang on, Kagome! I'll save you!" Inuyasha promised in anguish.

He was beginning to lose strength as he was losing a lot of blood. That didn't stop him, Inuyasha continued to try to break free. The roots grip on him loosened slightly, encouraging him to apply more strength. Inuyasha could move! He tried harder, determined to save Kagome.

Naraku watched unphazed. He LET the roots loosen a bit. He wasn't about to let Inuyasha ruin his entertainment, not when he wasn't finished torturing him first.

Naraku watched as Inuyasha stretched his arm further toward Kagome, who did likewise while trying to remain conscious. Their fingertips were very close.

He then rose his right hand and slowly curled his fingers. The roots condensed with the movement of Naraku's hand, applying more pressure on Kagome's body and restricting her air. Naraku brought his fingers out, and the roots loosened.

Inuyasha glanced at Naraku then at the roots holding Kagome prisoner. _He's controlling them! That sick son of a bitch! I've gotta get Kagome out of there! If I could just reach her....._

Inuyasha struggled desperately to get close enough to take her hand. Kagome was seriously to fight blacking out and continued to reach out to him.

Naraku chuckled to himself then spoke under his breath, "Farewell, Kagome."

Naraku's hand stretched out completely, giving the roots slack. But before Kagome could slide downward, Naraku's hand stretched a little further then tightly formed into a fist!

The slack roots immediately condensed with the force of Naraku's grip and completely enclosed around Kagome's body! He screamed Kagome's name at the top of his lungs! Inuyasha watched as her bones cracked and popped out of place! The thorns wrapped around her neck and head condensed and as well, breaking her skull and sending blood and brains splattering everywhere! Kagome's exposed arm, the only thing that remained in tact, snapped at the shoulder joint and fell to the ground.

Inuyasha stared wide eyed in horror. Naraku laughed as he watched Inuyasha become sick at the sight of Kagome's remains. Inuyasha rose his teary eyes toward Naraku, wishing he could transform and rip the bastard to pieces!

Naraku glared at the hanyou, tauntingly. "She was right before you, Inuyasha, and you couldn't save your beloved. Just as you feared." He lowered his hand, then stepped back in the shadows of the trees.

Suddenly, the ground shook fiercely and then cracked open. Lava and fire gushed up from the openings like a fountain. Inuyasha froze when he saw the lava shoot up. The base of the thorns that crushed Kagome snapped and fell over into the pit of liquid fire.

"Kagome...."

Then the base of his thorns began to crack. Inuyasha felt the thorns lean toward the right and shifted his weight to kept it centered. But then the base cracked again and his efforts inadvertently forced the thorns over to the far left. Inuyasha thrashed about wildly to escape, but the thorns held him firmly in place. He screamed in fright as the thorns fell over to side toward the lake of lava.

Naraku hovered high above the rock, watching everything.

****

Burn in hell, Inuyasha......

Inuyasha's eyes fixed on the sadistic hanyou and was the last thing he saw as he plunged under the infernal surface......

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Inuyasha screamed bloody murder in agony, thrashing about wildly, when his hand felt a firm surface. His face felt the surface and discovered it was grass. Inuyasha slowly opened his eyes, and saw a tree. His hands felt all about his body and found no burns or heat.

Inuyasha's head rested back the grass, his eyes closing in both relief and irritation.

"Damn it, another one. Could anything worse happen?" Inuyasha groaned quietly, trying to catch his breath as his heart accelerated again.

"Psh! And he said **I **oughta be put down for rabies. Hey mutt! What the hell's wrong with you?"

Inuyasha's eyes rolled up underneath his eyelids.

"I had to ask."

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Damn. I wasn't expecting that much violence to come out. I'm not anti-Kagome, people! This just happened! Seriously!

And there you go everyone, chapter 3 of Inuyasha's Nightmare. By the way, what in the world made you guys think I'd kill off the main characters of InuYasha? ESPECIALLY the hot monk whom I fantasize about?! I don't get it either.

I'll hopefully come up with another chapter sometime next month once I stabilize my concept for continuation. Maybe if I get a whole lot of reviews, something will happen.....

I'll still update, I just want more than three new reviews is all.

Look forward to chapter 4!

Ja!


	4. Chapter 4

Finally, I've gotten over my Writer's Block! From now on, there will most certainly be regular updates! I'm so happy! I can finally make my friend, Kagome2009-chan happy!

I sincerely apologize to all my readers for the almost 6 month delay, but during that time I was searching for an idea worthy of putting out and I could NOT come up with a kick-ass idea for nothing! Just when I thought I had one when I was writing chapter 3, I just lost it! Damn short term memory! But luckily, Psychology 201 came to the rescue and now I have a solid plot for the continuation!

To my reviewer Qem-san; answering question one, Inuyasha said it in the episode "Koga of the Wolf Demon Tribe" after Koga called him an 'albino runt' and Inuyasha said "You oughta be put down for rabies!" (I cracked up on that part)

Answering question two; you already answered it; you'll find out later :)

A'ight, InuYasha and Miroku ain't mine, they belong to Takahashi Rumiko-sama. And a HUGE economy-size thank-you goes out to my friend, and VERY first reviewer, Kagome2009-chan! Without her, this story would've remained a one-shot!

* * *

"InuYasha's Nightmare"  
Chapter IV

Inuyasha remained still on his back on the grass, his eyes rolled up underneath his eyelids as he groaned in irritation. That voice was the last thing he wanted to hear.

Inuyasha remained on the ground, hoping the owner of the voice would leave. He waited about two minutes, but the visitor's scent remained. Inuyasha's ears picked up the sound of the visitor's foot tapping in irritation onto the grass.

Giving up, Inuyasha opened his half-lidded eyes in a glare. Standing over him with his arms crossed and glaring down at him was Koga, his glare tinted with slight curiosity as to why he was screaming bloody murder and thrashing about like that.

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed more as he muttered, "Keh" in disdain. He sat up, resting his head on his hand as he was still very sleepy and exhausted.

Koga scoffed in disappointment, "Huh, blows that hope into oblivion." He muttered after Inuyasha moved. "I was hoping you were dead."

"Keh, my apologies for disappointing you." Inuyasha growled sarcastically, wishing he had the energy to hack the wolf youkai into pieces.

While Inuyasha sat facing away, Koga observed him, noting how fatigued the hanyou was.

Koga smiled mischievously, an idea coming to him.

"Tired, mutt?"

"No." Inuyasha growled, still facing away from the wolf youkai.

"Not at all?" Koga taunted, his grin broadening.

"No."

"Feel like fighting?"

"No."

"Sleep well?"

"**No.**"

"Mind if I have Kagome?"

"No."

Inuyasha's eyes popped open a second later.

"HEY!"

He immediately jumped to his feet and unsheathed the Tetsusaiga, causing Koga to halt and look back.

"Hey, you said I could have her." The wolf youkai pointed out with a taunting grin.

"It doesn't count since you used a cheap trick like that!" Inuyasha hollered, crankily.

"And who fell for the cheap trick, dumb mutt?"

Inuyasha charged at Koga, raising Tetsusaiga and preparing to run him through with it, when he was stopped by an iron skillet that slammed into his forehead. He tripped and fell onto his face.

Koga laughed at him when he was struck in the back of his head by another iron skillet.. He turned around and found Kagome holding the skillet andcasting a very stern look. He grinned idiotically, hoping it would change her expression.

Seeing as it wasn't working, Koga tried to explain himself. "Hey, he started it."

Inuyasha rose his head indignantly and protested, "Like hell! You're the one who started running your damn mouth!"

Kagome silenced the two demons before they could resume fighting "I don't wanna hear anymore fighting. I came to tell you guys that dinner's ready."

She received a flat glare from Inuyasha, who still laid on the ground. "I'm taking a guess he's gonna be eating our food?" He questioned in disdain, pointing his thumb at Koga.

Kagome returned his glare with a bright smile. "I hope I hear no objections to Koga having dinner with us, Inuyasha."

The hanyou teardropped at the miko's visage, seeing the irritation behind it. He had started to speak his protest, but upon seeing her face, and the threat hiding behind it, Inuyasha shut up and thought about his options, weighing the odds.

The last thing I want is that scrawny-ass wolf anywhere near Kagome. But judging by that look she's giving me...I'm so tired, I could fall out right now and if she sits me, I won't wake up until next month.

Inuyasha gave a defeated "keh" and rose to his feet, walking with Koga and Kagome back to the campsite, staying behind Koga to make sure he didn't snatch her up and run away with her.

Everyone sat around the warm fire, enjoying the delicious dinner of stir-fried ramen noodles and yakitaki Kagome had prepared.

They also stared at Koga as he happily wolfed down his food. When he finished, he bowed his head, hiding his face and humbly extended his bowl to Kagome.

"Might I be graced with another serving, dear Kagome?" He requested.

"Koga, you've already eaten three bowls!" Kagome exclaimed, flattered.

"Your cuisine is very delicious! To be satisfied with just three servings would be an insult to you." Koga replied with sincere humility.

Kagome chuckled with pride that Koga thought so highly of her cooking and gladly obliged his request. He lifted his head, revealing his thankful smile and devoured the food like there was no tomorrow.

Miroku noted the wolf youkai's behavior. He made a mental note to himself that when it was Sango's turn to cook to show his utmost appreciation. Hopefully, he would get her utmost gratification.

Miroku grinned as he hoped it would be the gratification that would lead to "intimacy".

His grin disappeared when he caught the intense dragon-like glare Sango gave him and ate like nothing happened.

Koga ate until he could eat no more and set his bowl before him, loudly thanking the gods for such a kind and generous woman as Kagome.

Sango poured green tea for everyone and offered a cup to the ecstatic wolf, "How has your search for Naraku been, Koga? Have you had any luck?"

"No, it's been lousy actually." Koga answered solemnly, accepting the cup of tea. "It seems everytime we think we got a lead on the bastard, it turns out to be a demon he detached from his body."

"It's been two months since Naraku's sudden disappearance." Kagome stated quietly to herself, gazing at the fire in thought. She looked up at the stars. "What could he plotting?"

Kagome's audible thoughts were interrupted as she brought her eyes from the night sky. She found Koga holding her hands in his and gazing deeply into her eyes, regretfully.

"This has made you so upset, Kagome." Koga stated softly, apologetically. His tone became determined, "I promise you, I'll make up for my failure. I'll search high and low for Naraku and I'll bring you his head."

The wolf youkai smiled proudly at his declaration while Kagome grinned nervously, teardropping. The thought of being presented with Naraku's head dripping with blood wasn't something that appealed to her.

"Oh no, you don't have to do that, Koga," Kagome spoke up politely, prying herself from Koga's gentle but firm grip. "Just seeing him dead is good for me."

"That's all, Kagome?" Koga asked. He seemed shocked at such a plain request. "There's no need to save all the fun for me. I'll lend you my sword and you can hack at him as much as you wish. Just seeing your enjoyment will bring me happiness."

Ginta and Hakkaku sat behind him, silently applauding Koga's declaration, wishing Kagome would throw herself in his arms and run away with him.

Koga glanced to his right after feeling a few glances on him and Kagome. Sango and Shippo averted their eyes and pretended to gaze up at the stars. Miroku kept his curious eyes on Koga, then looked away.

"And just what're you looking at, monk? Never saw anyone make a promise to him woman before?" Koga inquired, wondering why Miroku was staring.

"Calm down, Koga. I just noticed you here having dinner with us, you're trying to woo Kagome, and I have yet to hear Inuyasha run his mouth about it." Miroku calmly pointed out, smiling in amusement.

Everyone else found it strange as well.

Inuyasha'd be going through several different conniptions by now. Shippo thought.

Beside Kagome, Kirara mewed and motioned her head ahead of her.

Inuyasha laid inside Kagome's sleeping bad, sound asleep. Sleeping so deeply, in fact, that he was completely unaware of Koga's advances. Naturally, it made the others stare and worry if he was alright, but they figured Inuyasha was fine as he appeared peaceful and took advantage of the silence, continuing their meal. Sango made sure Koga didn't go too far with his advances on Kagome and Shippo stuffed himself to sleep. Miroku kept a watchful eye on the hanyou, hoping his dreams would be as peaceful as his visage.

* * *

Koga ran for all he was worth through the plains just outside the forest. He looked back and saw Inuyasha leap out from the trees, fixing his eyes on him and grinning cockily.

"Hahaha! I'll get you, mangy wolf!" The hanyou gloated.

Koga panicked and tried to run faster. Inuyasha descended and landed on the wolf, pinning him to the ground and commenced to beating the living crap out of him. Inuyasha rose his fist over Koga's head, wearing a dominating grin when the wolf stopped him and begged for mercy. Koga crawled from under Inuyasha and bowed on his knees before him, hiding his face.

"You're right, Inuyasha-dono! I'm a low down wild animal unworthy of having his name enter your ears!" Koga groveled fearfully.

The hanyou stood with a proud smirk, his head swelling with pride. _So this is how Sesshomaru feels, huh? I could get used to this._ Inuyasha folded his arms across his chest proudly, looking down on Koga and commanded him to berate himself further.

"Kagome is too good for me! You alone are the only one worthy of such a beauty! I give up on her completely! She belongs to you, mighty and superior Inuyasha-dono!"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried out happily as she ran toward him.

She happily ran into his open arms and threw her arms around him in a warm embrace. Seeing as Kagome had chosen her mate, Koga humbly wished them happiness and faded away.

Inuyasha returned his beloved's embrace, happy she had chosen him over Koga. They took a walk in the bright woods together sharing a lighthearted conversation. They came to the edge of the woods where the sun shined brightly over an open field of grass and a magnificent view of the ocean. Inuyasha took a few steps forward in front of Kagome and admired the view. He sat down in his dog position and took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the fresh crisp air; Kagome's presence added to his serenity.

"You were right, Kagome. It does feel good taking a break from jewel shard hunting. That view is something, huh?"

Inuyasha continued to gaze at the sparkling ocean, then realized Kagome didn't give a response.

"Is something wrong?" Inuyasha asked in a soft tone. "You're awfully quiet, Kago-"

His sentence was cut off by a dagger sent into his back and through his chest, the blade missing his heart and its tip protruding from his chest!

Inuyasha yelled in agony as the weapon was withdrawn from him. He leaned bent over the grass and saw dark blood pour from his chest and quickly form a puddle under him. Inuyasha looked behind him and found Kagome standing over him holding a small sword dripping with his blood in her right hand. She glared down on him, her visage hard and cold.

Inuyasha stared, his golden eyes widened in shock. "Kagome...wh..." He uttered, straining in pain.

He looked around Kagome as their surroundings captured his attention. The serene and bright scenery quickly transformed. The sky turned a blackish red, the forest and grass melted away, revealing the bare rocky ground.

The ground underneath Inuyasha's feet cracked and gave out. He grabbed onto the ledge that remained, grimacing from the pain; as he watched the rocks fall, Inuyasha's eyes widened.

Several thousand feet below, the rocks fell into an infinite pit blazing with fire. Flames spewed upward at Inuyasha as if trying to reach up and pull him in, but fell short several hundred feet.

Inuyasha placed both his hands on the ledge, and tried to pull himself up. His claws dug and raked into the ground as he often lost his footing and slid back. Kagome stepped before his outstretched arm and knelt down. Inuyasha rose his pleading eyes to her, then trembled at what they saw inside Kagome's eyes.

Hatred.

Pure hatred and malice toward him.

"_Kagome..._" Inuyasha whispered, straining.

_He's frightened. Inuyasha is frightened._ A wicked smile stretched across Kagome's lips. She was greatly pleased at the fact.

Inuyasha's eyes trembled, his heart beat faster as Kagome's smile frightened him more, which gave her even more pleasure. The smile dissipitated and Kagome's cold eyes fixed on Inuyasha. His heartbeat sped up as she drew even closer.

He felt himself start to slide back and dug his claws harder into the rocky surface to anchor himself. Kagome reached out and savagely seized Inuyasha by his throat, allowing him a limited amount of air. He gagged, struggling for air as she lifted him upward a few inches over the ledge. Their eyes met, Kagome's hatred burning into his soul. Inuyasha's eyes widened and trembled in fear as they locked onto the blood stained dagger in Kagome's raised hand.

"_K-Kagome..._" Inuyasha strained, frightened. "_Don't...pl-please.._"

Hardening her heart to his plea, Kagome sent the dagger plunging into Inuyasha's accelerating heart. A broad evil grin stretched across her face as she listened to the sweet sound of her beloved screaming in agony, her eyes wide as the fright on his face and blood pouring from him thrilled her greatly. Desiring more pleasure, Kagome stabbed him again and repeated the act, sending the dagger plunging over and over into Inuyasha's chest, listening to his shrieks.

Inuyasha gagged and choked on the blood that crept up his throat and trickled out of his mouth. When the stabbing had ceased, he weakly opened his frightened eyes to gaze at Kagome's face.

"_Ka..._" He gagged on more blood. "_Ka...go..me..."_

She narrowed her hateful eyes at him, agitated he was still alive, and plunged the dagger into him a final time, driving it through his back and moving the blade around inside his wound, delighting in listening to him shriek and clutch the ground in excruciation. Kagome slowly drew closer and placed a lingering kiss on Inuyasha's lips, then resumed her malicious gaze on him.

Kagome...

"Join Kikyo in hell, Inuyasha." Kagome hissed sadistically.

As Inuyasha's eyes feebly flew open, Kagome released his throat and pushed the dagger even deeper into him, forcefully sending him falling off the ledge and into the pit of fire below. Inuyasha screamed in terror.

Fire gathered at the base of the pit, swirling ominously. It condensed into a great mass and erupted, sending a tremendous fountain of fire shooting upward toward Inuyasha! It reached him within seconds and engulfed his body, burning completely through his fire-rat robe and into his flesh and bones!

Inuyasha's shrieks of utmost excruciation sounded from the top of his lungs as he was incinerated alive, the horrible sound lost in the savage intensity of the fires of hell.

* * *

Inuyasha shrieked wildly as the fires continued to incinerate him, thrashing about in sheer terror. He was silenced suddenly when he felt the wind get knocked out of him as something collided into his stomach.

"**YO! SHUT UP WITH ALL THAT DAMN NOISE, MUTT! KAGOME'S TRYIN' TO SLEEP!**"

Koga had kicked Inuyasha in the stomach after he and everyone else was awakened by his terrified shrieking. Koga was about to yell at him again when he stopped and observed the hanyou carefully.

Inuyasha lay on his stomach, his body stiffened on the futon of Kagome's sleeping bag. His fierce grip squeezed at the edges, his claws tearing into the cushion.

The expression on his face disturbed Koga the most.

Inuyasha's ivory white hair was scattered wildly over his head and face. His golden eyes were widened beyond their full extent and trembling fiercely, filled with sheer terror, staring into space before him. His teeth were bare and gnashed tightly. Inuyasha's breathing was frighteningly rapid, trying desperately to keep up with his heartbeat, which was beating at a dangerous velocity.

_M-My body...IT'S BURNING! MY BODY'S BURNING! HELP ME! SOMEBODY HELP ME!_ Inuyasha screamed desperately in his thoughts, his vocal chords paralyzed.

His body felt like it was still being burned, but there were no flames surrounding him. Then in an instant, the feeling intensified, causing his features to do likewise, and then vanished!

Koga stared with a very disturbed face as he saw Inuyasha's terrified visage. "What the hell is wrong with him?"

He drew his foot back to kick Inuyasha in the head to wake him up, but halted when Kagome intercepted his path and fell to her knees before the terrified hanyou.

"Inuyasha! Inuyasha!" Kagome called out to him, scared.

Kagome's voice brought a halt to Inuyasha's shaking body. When her voice registered in his mind, his eyes looked up and found her face.

Inuyasha instantly sat up and drew away from Kagome, looking bewildered with fright. She drew back, startled by his behavior.

What's wrong with him? Inuyasha looks like he's scared to death of me...

That movement caught Koga's attention; he stood by, read to jump the hanyou if he dared to hurt Kagome.

Kagome slowly drew closer to Inuyasha and placed her hand on his left cheek. It was covered with cold sweat. She spoke very gently to him, trying to calm him down as he had obviously had a very terrible nightmare.

Inuyasha's breathing finally began to slow down as he listened to Kagome's gentle voice soothe him. He blinked and looked into her brown eyes.

They were beautiful and filled with kindness and love for him.

Inuyasha's breathing slowed to normal as his body relaxed completely. He realized he had awoken from another nightmare and came to his senses.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome softly asked, staring into his golden eyes. "Inuyasha, are you alright now?"

Inuyasha swayed a little, growing lightheaded from all the oxygen rushing to his head and felt a massive wave of exhaustion overtake him. Kagome drew herself closer to him as he fell forward, allowing him to fall onto her. She held Inuyasha close as his head rested on her shoulder, his slow but heavy breath warming the base of her neck.

"_Kagome..._" He whispered feebly, worn out from his nightmare, nuzzling Kagome's neck tenderly before falling into a deep sleep again.

Koga stood behind them, his arms folded and his eyes looking up at the starry night sky away from them, silently labeling Inuyasha weak and pathetic. Ginta and Hakkaku looked at their leader, noting how he seemed just a little childish wearing that expression.

Miroku, Sango and Shippo drew closer to Inuyasha as he slept on Kagome's shoulder while she gently stroked his hair to keep him soothed.

"Is he alright now, Kagome?" Sango asked, worried as she had also seen Inuyasha's terrified visage.

Kagome quietly answered, "I think for now he's okay. Even though he just had a nightmare, it really almost terrified him to death. It's best we let him sleep."

Shippo looked scared as he saw that Inuyasha's face was almost as white as his hair. Miroku tried to ease the young kitsune's fear, worrying about his friend as well.

The campsite calmed down again as everyone returned to sleep. Kagome held her position, allowing Inuyasha to sleep in her arms for a while longer. She then gently laid him back onto the futon of the sleeping bag, sleeping beside him and resting her forehead on his chest, praying that he would sleep well for the rest of the night.


	5. Chapter 5

(bows humbly, hiding face from fans)

I curse schoolwork. It demands so much of my attention and time and throws off my fanfic vibes! Anyway, I don't mean to update this fic twice a year, it just happened against my will. But if it makes you all feel better, go ahead and beat the crap outta me to ease your frustration.

(**BAM!** **WHAP!** "OW!" **CRUNCH! SLAP! BIFF!** "HEY, THAT DON'T BEND THAT WAY!" **PUNCH! BAP!**)

(author gets up on crutches)

Okay, note to self, try to update at least bimonthly.

That out the way, here's chapter 5 for y'all...medic.

* * *

InuYasha's Nightmare  
Chapter 5

The Inu-tachi resumed their journey late the following morning. Inuyasha led the group in silence, wearing his usual gruff face. Though he managed to get a decent night's sleep, Inuyasha still felt a little weary, doing his best to suppress it. As he led the way, he looked up at the cloudy sky, unable to think about anything save his recent nightmare.

For some reason, the one Inuyasha had the previous night was a thousand times more frightening than the ones before, specifically when he transformed and killed Kagome. He brought his troubled eyes back to eye level and tried not to think about it. Gathering the Shikon shards was more important than his petty nightmare.

Though the journey would be a lot easier to focus on if it weren't for the nagging stench of wolf in the air.

Ginta and Hakkaku trailed along with the Inu-tachi; keeping quiet and feeling uneasy knowing Inuyasha wasn't too fond of them. Miroku tried to ease the tension between the groups by striking up a lighthearted conversation. It started to take effect, until Ginta pointed out the monk's hand making its way to Sango's backside. Hakkaku tried to follow up by warning Miroku about her hiraikotsu but was a second too late.

"I swear you've got serious brain damage, Miroku!" Sango snarled, making Kirara cower and jump onto Kagome's head for safety.

"Makes me wonder how he got that way." Hakkaku muttered, teardropping at the sight of the weapon slamming onto Miroku head.

"As much as he's done that, he oughta be brain dead by now." Shippo grumbled as the two wolves tried to help the monk to his feet.

Miroku only smiled, mentally hollering at Ginta for ruining his moment.

Koga paid virtually no attention to the scene as he walked alongside Kagome, his hard blue eyes fixed on Inuyasha. The hanyou's behavior had freaked him out last night to begin with, but seeing his petrified expression and the way he reacted to Kagome filled him with caution. Koga didn't like the way Inuyasha looked at her. He saw for himself for that moment the hanyou was terrified of Kagome, but for a split second, the wolf saw a hint of malice behind that facade.

Koga's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he stared at the back of Inuyasha's head. _That look only lasted less than a second, but still...I sensed something. I sensed something but I don't know what. Much as I hate to say it, that mutt loves Kagome just as much as I do, so I know he wouldn't hurt her. Rrr...but that look in his eyes, it keeps bothering me. It's like I thought I saw Inuyasha's eyes turn blue._

His mind was rattled as he tried to make sense of his suspicion. Predominately, his thoughts said that strange look in Inuyasha's eyes was only due to him still thinking he was still in his nightmare, however, his instincts said otherwise, that Kagome was in danger.

Koga scorned himself for thinking good of Inuyasha. The hanyou wouldn't go out of his way to harm Kagome, but that didn't mean he did a good job protecting from harm. It wasn't enough to make a decision based on that little thing, but Koga's instincts kept nagging at him.

_Hmm...I'll tag along with Kagome and her group for the time being. Finding Naraku is important to me, but Kagome is far more important. I got a strong feeling that she's in danger; she needs me to protect her._

Inuyasha frowned. For a long while, he felt someone's glare on him, getting a good haunch who it was. He turned around to give Koga a price of his mind when a huge demon appeared out of the ground ahead of him and immediately charged forward. Immediately, a battle pursued, but the group took a beating while trying to subdue it. Inuyasha unsheathed Tetsusaiga and took a fighting stance, preparing to deliver the Wind Scar.

Then he stopped and stood in place.

Inuyasha held his stance and stared at the demon. _How do I know I'm not dreaming? Almost all my nightmares started with a demon showing up and a battle following._

He was snapped out of his thoughts when the demon's tentacles slammed into him and knocked him headfirst into a tree. The others wondered what was wrong with Inuyasha; when an enemy appeared he couldn't attack it fast enough but he just stood and stared like he didn't understand. Koga got pissed off as he had to save Kagome from getting hit.

"What the hell's wrong with you, damn mutt! Use that frickin' sword already!" He screamed.

Kagome noticed the slight uncertainty on Inuyasha's face and then brought her eyes to the large demon, sensing a strong aura coming from it.

"No wonder we're having a hard time. Inuyasha! The demon has five shards in its body!"

The demon struck Inuyasha just as Kagome filled him in. The pain and blood coming from his wound erased his uncertainty and told him he wasn't dreaming. He stood to his feet and readied Tetsusaiga, wearing his trademark cocky smile.

"Five jewel shards comin' up! WIND SCAR!"

The wave of demonic energy blasted from the sword and obliterated the demon. Shippo collected the jewel shards as the fell to the ground. The headman of a wealthy nearby village saw the group fight the demon and offered them stay at their onsen resort to recuperate from their battle.

After enjoying a soak in the hot springs, Koga slipped into his white yukata and looked for Kagome, wondering if she'd like some company. He found Ginta and Hakkaku in the inn, enjoying sake with Miroku and several of the beautiful servant women there.

"Some people think the way I get into a five star inn is underhanded, but the place could have an evil spirit in it somewhere for all I know. Thus, it never hurts to take precautions in the event one should approach the building." Miroku stated lightheartedly, sipping his sake.

The wolves nodded, thinking that remark made sense.

"Well, I'm not at all for lying my way inside a place." Hakkaku stated.

"But if it gets us free room and board, what they don't know won't hurt 'em!" Ginta declared, lifting his cup as the others agreed.

The women laughed at Miroku's craftiness and showered him with attention, which he gladly indulged in. He looked up and saw Koga staring at them all and invited him to join them. The wolf said nothing and left. The monk shrugged it off and gave hi attention back to his lady company, doing his fortune-telling routine and flirting with them.

"My, my, you have such a lovely palm, my dear." Miroku purred, making the woman blush and Ginta and Hakkaku shake their heads.

"This is what that kid Shippo was talking about, huh, Hakkaku?" Ginta whispered in his ear.

Hakkaku nodded, "Yep, but what did he mean when he said, 'death will come on boomerang bone'?"

Miroku took the giggling woman's hands in his, "I hope I don't seem too bold, but might I ask if you would bare my child?"

Ginta and Hakkaku quieted in time to hear Miroku's catch-phrase question, then overhear Koga telling someone down the hall, "right in that room down there".

Next thing they all know the shoji door flew open, revealing to startled Miroku an infuriated demon slayer.

"Sango!" Miroku squeaked, releasing the woman's hand.

"Oh, that's what Shippo meant." Hakkaku said.

Miroku tried to explain himself but Sango wasn't hearing it. She moved toward him and the monk ran out of the room like a bat out of hell, then ran even faster when she shouted chased after with her hiraikotsu. Koga stood at the door leading outside and watched as Miroku ran from Sango, dodging her oversized weapon with amazing agility. Shippo was just stepping out off the kiddy hot spring when he saw the two running his way. He turned to run away but Miroku was too fast and ending up kicking the kitsune. Fearing he'd get trampled, Shippo latched onto the monk and joined him in screaming for help after catching a glance of Sango's ferocious glare.

Koga teardropped as he watched the three run all along the property.

"**These** are the people I left Kagome with? What the hell's wrong with **me**?"

On the other side of the inn, on the porch facing the Zen garden, sat Inuyasha. He just sat there staring at the scenery, deep in his thoughts.

"My nightmare where I transformed and killed Kagome was awful enough, but this recent one...damn, I swore it was real. I'm pretty sure I had woken up, but I could still see fire everywhere. I could feel it too. What's stranger, I felt like I was still dreaming up until that demon wounded me. In all my nightmares, the demons never got near me. Keh, one little difference like that was enough to wake me up."

Inuyasha paused, his thoughts centering more on the nightmare he had recently. All day it had been on his mind and something about its contents had been nagging at him.

"Why do I think that one was worse than the other? The one when I transformed, that was the worst one. I mean, I actually enjoyed hearing Kagome's pain and seeing it on her face was horrible enough. The nightmare I had last night, I didn't even..."

Inuyasha stopped the moment the answer to his question came to him.

"Kagome betrayed me".

Inuyasha whispered almost inaudibly, scared to even utter it.

"The nightmare before, Kagome regained her senses but I killed her anyway. This one, she betrayed me and sent me to hell..." Inuyasha quieted more, "That's why it scared me more; something I thought inconceivable had happened."

His golden eyes stared before him, trembling at the thought of Kagome betraying him. His mind began to tread upon forbidden territory

"Have I been naive all this time? I never once let it enter my mind, but I never once entertained the thought of Kagome betraying me.

"It's always possible she might..."

**POW!**

Those five words escaped his lips in the quietest tone and hung heavily in the air around. The second they entered his ears and registered inside his brain, Inuyasha sent his own fist rocketing into his jaw! The pain brought him out of his trance-like state. Inuyasha's bruised face remained turned to the side, his eyes opening when he was certain that concept had been knocked out of his head. They widened incredulously as he turned back to the garden and placed his hand over his throbbing jaw.

Inuyasha realized not only did he think something completely insane, that Kagome would betray him, but he had been talking to himself.

Also, he had almost knocked himself out! It was like he got pissed off at himself for even allowing that crazy thought to escape his mouth, let alone enter his mind.

"What the hell did I just to myself?" Inuyasha muttered incredulously to himself, his jaw starting to hurt.

He suddenly felt a light tap on his shoulder, startling him to his feet.

The person who tapped him took a step back, also startled. "Inuyasha?"

"Ka-Kagome?" Inuyasha uttered, surprised to see her.

Kagome stood before him in her white yukata, looking deep into Inuyasha's golden eyes with great concern. She looked closer at his face and found the left side of his jaw was swollen and a thin trail of blood was beginning to trickle from the corner of his mouth.

"Inuyasha, what happened to you?" Kagome inquired, worried. She had heard the sound of punching, but hadn't seen what else happened.

Inuyasha broke eye contact with her, looking down. "A bug kept annyoin' me and I got a bit carried away when it got on my face."

He saw Kagome move forward and brought his eyes up. She started to reach out to him but stopped when she looked into Inuyasha's eyes and saw them trembling slightly. Confusion hid behind her worry. The look on the hanyou's face was completely foreign to her. Inuyasha's expression suggested that he was scared of her.

Kagome slowly extended her hand towards his face and rested her palm gently upon his swollen jaw. Inuyasha blinked when her skin touched his, and almost instantly, his tense body relaxed as a warm calm filled his body. His eyes stilled and became half-lidded, placing his hand over hers and holding it close to his face. The softness of Kagome's hand and her very presence soothed him and his troubled mind. Inuyasha opened his eyes to see her smiling face.

"Inuyasha," Kagome spoke softly, "I didn't mean to bother you, but you hadn't spoken to me all day and I got worried about you."

His ears drooped. "I'm sorry, Kagome. I got preoccupied with my thoughts. I don't know why, but those nightmares I had were on my mind."

"Are you okay, Inuyasha?"

The hanyou's ear perked back up. He smiled warmly at Kagome, happy to hear her concern. "Yeah, I'm alright now, Kagome. Thanks."

Kagome closed in the small space between them and kissed Inuyasha deeply, pulling him closer as she lovingly caressed his face. He returned her tender kiss, wrapping his strong arms around Kagome and holding her close to him.

She broke the kiss and gazed into Inuyasha's golden eyes.

"I love you."

He stared into her brown eyes as if spellbound. Those three words erased all of the doubt and turmoil in Inuyasha's mind. With a relieved smile, he rested his forehead atop Kagome's.

"And I love you, Kagome." Inuyasha answered affectionately.

He tenderly muzzled her nose, emitting a giggle from her. They stood there inside each other's embrace for a few minutes until Kagome tried to break away. She had meant to tell him she had made lunch for everyone. The hanyou held onto her, feeling very playful all of a sudden. Kagome laughed, catching onto him and half-heartedly tried to break free. Eventually, Inuyasha let her go, so he could chase her around the porch and listen to Kagome laugh.


	6. A Wondrous Beginning

(goes crazy over constant revising of chapter 6)

(sigh) Okay, I've done my best and I don't wanna keep Kagome2009-chan and my public waiting any longer. I put myself through such hell with my stories, but I'm something of a perfectionist like that.

I apologize for the long delay, college is REALLY killing me. I can't wait until this semester is over so I can get to summer.

Anyway, Inuyasha ain't mine, I say Miroku is, Sango beats the hell outta me and drags him off like a cavewoman, y'all know it is with my disclaimers by now. (laughs)

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

**InuYasha's** **Nightmare**

**Chapter 6**

The group set out that evening. Sango dragged Miroku outside by the back of his robes, fuming as he waved good-bye to the women. The monk teardropped in fear as he heard her mutter under her breath.

"But Sango," Miroku whined, "They were so generous. It'd be so rude of me not to return the favor!"

"Asking EVERY female in there to bear your child several times or if they'd at least like to try is not considered generous, monk!" Sango snarled, making Miroku flinch.

He sighed in defeat. "A monk just can't get a break."

The others continued walking, trying not to laugh too loudly. Koga stared incredulously at Miroku, unable to believe he was THAT big a lecherous pervert.

"He always like this, kid?" He asked Shippo out of sheer curiosity.

"Around pretty women, he's pretty much an addict." The kitsune answered indifferently while waiting for Sango to knock Miroku out.

Koga faced forward, shaking his head. He thought it embarrassing to have your woman keep you in line everytime another female crossed your path. Kagome heard him mutter something about Miroku being an animal and laughed.

"He's not always like that, Koga. You learn to get used to him in time." She said in Miroku's defense; Koga just glanced to the side.

Inuyasha kept leading when he suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong, Inuyasha?" Sango asked.

"I'm picking up Naraku's scent." The hanyou growled. "It's real faint, but I definitely smell it."

The group took off after Inuyasha as he shot forward. Koga stood in place for a moment, sniffing around, then ran after them. Ginta and Hakkaku were puzzled at how **for once**, they were able to keep up with their leader. They wondered why Koga was running so slowly, but were not answered.

Inuyasha stopped where he thought Naraku's scent was originating; the group halted around him, cautiously searching around.

Naraku, nor any of his incarnations, was in sight.

Inuyasha looked around in confusion. Naraku's scent was very faint, but he was certain he had picked it up.

_Don't let your guard down! That bastard's gotta be hiding somewhere!_

"I'm not sensing any Shikon jewel shards here." Kagome thought aloud to herself, adding to Inuyasha's confusion.

Everyone looked around the area with heightened caution, but there were no enemies in sight. Inuyasha lowered Tetsusaiga a little, sniffing around.

_Somethin' ain't right; I was sure I picked up Naraku's scent here._

Koga slammed his fist onto Inuyasha's crown, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"You got a death wish, wolf?" The hanyou screamed, shaking his fist.

"You gotta be the stupidest thing alive, mutt! Naraku's not anywhere around here!"

"Shut the hell up, Koga! Naraku was here! I could smell his scent a mile away!"

Koga pummeled Inuyasha on the head again, saying Naraku hadn't been in the area at all. He, nor any of the other demons had smelled him.

Inuyasha sniffed discreetly; he'd thought he had, but now he couldn't trace the scent. He tried to hide his embarrassment, but Koga wouldn't let him live it down. Every word about Inuyasha being a dumb-ass half-breed provoked him to rage. Miroku held the hanyou back before he could break out Tetsusaiga.

"Koga, you shouldn't be so hard on Inuyasha. He hasn't been well-rested in the past few days; it must be affecting his senses." He spoke in Inuyasha's defense.

"You're not doing him any favors, monk." Koga scoffed, "That just proves what a weakling he is. And if you're gonna speak for him, don't come up with some lame-ass excuse."

Koga said nothing more after that, except "ow" before falling unconscious to the ground after Miroku struck him in the head.

He smiled kindly and bowed his head. "I sense you were tired as well since you were speaking such nonsense. Please rest a while, Koga."

Ginta stared at Koga, then glanced at Miroku, who stared back innocently. The wolf guessed his leader was getting on everyone's nerves.

"He's gonna be pretty pissed when he wakes up, you know." Ginta smirked, a tremble in his voice.

Miroku's smile only broadened. He figured Koga and Inuyasha were practically the same, so it didn't matter to him. He could simply knock Koga out again if he got out of line.

Inuyasha stared around in thought, trying to make sense of things. He was most certain that thought the scent was only a trace, he had smelled it. When nothing added up, Inuyasha figured maybe Miroku was right; he was beginning to feel a little weary again.

Hakkaku noticed and suggested Inuyasha take a short rest by the river ahead to relax. Of course, the very suggestion riled the hanyou up. Hakkaku jumped and assured him he was only trying to be helpful.

"You wanna be helpful, keep your two cents to yourself, wolf!" Inuyasha snapped.

Kagome tried to calm him down, "Inuyasha, I think maybe you should just rest for at least a minute or two and then we can set up camp for the night."

She had better luck than Hakkaku, but he folded his arms stubbornly. "Keh, why should I? I feel perfectly fine."

A broad smile crept on Kagome's face. "If you do, I'll have some beef ramen ready for you when you get back."

"I'll see you guys later." Inuyasha said as he walked off.

"Heh, he's like a trained dog." Sango giggled, getting a glare from Inuyasha.

Koga came to just as the group went to set up camp, growling at Miroku. Just as Ginta predicted, he was pretty pissed. Miroku tried to talk his way out of a fight, saying they were allies; they shouldn't fight amongst themselves. Koga didn't really listen and insisted on busting Miroku up, until Miroku threatened to use his wind tunnel. Koga didn't seem all that interested anymore.

Inuyasha sat against a tree by the riverbed, listening to the flow of water. He didn't want to admit it, but it did relax him.

_Not like I'll tell him. Ain't no way I'm gonna admit that wolf lackey was right._

Inuyasha's thoughts paused, his mind regressed to a previous subject.

_I'm sure that scent was Naraku's, but then it just disappeared (sigh) Maybe Miroku's right. I probably imagined it. Well, I can't smell it anymore, no point in losing my mind over it._

Inuyasha thought nothing more of it and took in the peaceful scenery, looking forward to the beef ramen waiting for him. He yawned, the relaxing setting made him sleepy; he dozed off.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_Inuyasha…what're you…no NO PLE- **AHHHHH!**_

Images of Kagome being slashed flashed in red and black. The view turned to the right, showing Miroku and Sango running to her aid. Whatever was focusing on them snarled as satanic sound, rushed up to them and ravaged them, ripping them to pieces and sending blood and limbs flying!

It turned back to Kagome and found Koga standing before her, roaring at it. Koga lunged toward the beast at top speed, but was intercepted; the beast's fangs latched onto his armor, broke through and ripped out Koga's intestines! It then grabbed his ponytail, lifting his head up and with its fangs, gouged out Koga's eyes one at a time! He was thrown to the ground, writhing and screaming, unable to move from the incredible pain in his torn abdomen.

The beast approached Kagome, digging out her eyes with its claws and slowly devouring her alive. It indulged in her shrieks, getting even more pleasure as it listened to Koga's anguished pleas for mercy. The beast finished with Kagome, and with a single blow, tore through Koga's chest and ripped out his heart.

The beast licked its bloody fingers, smiling in deep satisfaction.

"**I should thank you all for turning on me. I haven't had a good kill in so long.**

"**I enjoyed every minute."**

Inuyasha awoke instantly with a start, his breath heavy and his heart racing. After a whole night and day of peace, his nightmares returned.

_That…That was me…That was me killing everyone!_

Inuyasha sat under the tree; his widened eyes stared before him, shaking. He had thought his nightmares couldn't get any worse. As he recalled every detail of that brief one, his breathing nearly shallowed to a stop. His previous nightmares, his recent one and the thought of Kagome betraying him flashed sporadically in his mind. Inuyasha lowered his head to his knees, grabbing at his hair. He screamed for it to stop as the turmoil threatened to overwhelm him. He heard his voice echo in the air and tried to reclaim his senses.

_Get a grip, Inuyasha! It was only a nightmare. It was **ONLY **a frickin' nightmare, nothing more!_

Inuyasha tried to calm himself down, then stilled. He sat up and looked down at his hands.

They were trembling badly.

Inuyasha clenched them into tight fists and placed them to his sides. His head remained lowered, his eyes facing the river.

"That last one was too graphic…." He whispered.

"…They won't stop. What does it mean? What the hell does all this mean?"

"Will something awful happen to me?"

_**No, dearest Inuyasha….**_

_**This is a sign of a wondrous beginning….**_


End file.
